Benjamin James Sullivan (Schooley)

On September 30, 2021, Ben passed away unexpectedly and tragically of a cardiopulmonary
arrest while deep sea fishing in Sitka, Alaska. He was 44 years old. He was found in his boat
bunk on the Pacific Predator Commercial fishing vessel, where his peaceful sleep turned into
an eternal rest.

Ben was born on August 15, 1977 in Aransas Pass, Texas. He spent his early years in northeastern Ohio; many of his memories were set in Bath, where his grandparents, Jean and Bill Falor, lived and owned the Covered Bridge Restaurant. Ben’s earliest memory was greeting patrons at the restaurant door with his beloved grandfather. Bill may also be the source of Ben’s entrepreneurial spirit, as he instilled in his grandson the value of land—and also foot rubs, which Ben would give him for the bargain price of one dollar per minute. He often talked about how his grandfather turned an ice cream stand into a thriving restaurant; he constantly sought to make his grandfather proud, whether by wearing cardigans or seeking to make an independent fortune.

Ben, or “BS” as he was often known in his school days, grew up with a tight group of boys
in the Leave It to Beaver-esque neighborhood of Fairlawn, Ohio. They played outside until dark and went on camping
trips, as kids did in those days, telling ghost stories and laughing (and scaring each other) long into the night. He
described multiple bone breaking bike rides and a love of life fitting of childhood innocence. Parents saw him as charming (a lifelong trait, those who know him might argue). Ben spread cheer wherever he went, encouraging his colleagues and friends to follow their interests and dreams. BS left briefly to move to Colorado, where he attended Grand Junction High School for two years. He returned to Ohio to graduate from Copley High School in 1996 with his life-long friends. He earned the admirable title of Eagle Scout, of which he was especially proud.

Following high school, Ben attended the University of Akron. He studied Political Science, fell in love, suffered a broken heart, and learned the evil ingredients of make-up. At the bequest of his grandfather, he pledged Lone Star, the oldest local fraternity in the world, established in 1882. He was a legacy, and furthermore made life-long friendships and memories; dressing up for Halloween with all of his brothers as the characters from Steve Miller’s “The Joker” was a story he often relayed but could never be repeated.

However, the call of the West Coast became too much for him, and Ben accepted a job in Sacramento, California. Here he met more lifelong friends (obviously a trend for our charismatic hero), this time from the town of Lodi (insert foreshadowing here), with whom he shared many commonalities, including a love of the Dukes of Hazzard. They went by the name of, “just the good old boys,” and their memories are limitless. Ben also learned in Sacramento that, “women come in every shade of color,” and continued to break hearts all across the city. Together with his newfound Lodian crew, JTGOB lived the life of the young, free, and reckless during their twenties in this small town masquerading as a big city. Their epic tales of running marathons were passed along to their children, as they slowly peeled off, paired up, and started families.

But Ben had a wild spirit, and could not stay too long in one place. He had spent summers working in Alaska, and he headed back to the land where his paternal blood ran deep. The north became his permanent home and commercial fishing his livelihood. He enticed his best friend Mario, a Lodian, North to the Future. Ben travelled the world during breaks, spending time on nearly every continent. He lived in Mexico City for months after being hospitalized for contracting the Swine Flu. He left Thailand shortly before a tsunami hit. A citizen of the world and a beacon of light, our Benjamin leaves a trail of friends behind him across every land and sea on this earth.

Back in Alaska, Ben met Yavon Robertson, and his first and only son, Yarak William Sullivan, was, “made in Alaska.” He moved to Montana for Yarak’s birth in 2011, and helped build archery longbows and recurves with the Robertson family. However, that was short lived and he was soon back on a fishing boat in Alaska, and intermittently to his family home in Florida and even his transplanted but beloved state of California.

In 2014, Benjamin was traversing California, traveling back and forth between Happy Camp and San Diego, both places close to his heart. He was a bit lost. While making a stop over in his old stomping grounds of Sacramento, he connected with Jennifer Hetzner, of Lodi, California, on a dating app. The two talked for nearly six months before meeting in person. Their first date was at the Pine Cove. Their second date was on Cinco de Mayo; he moved in that weekend. Together they travelled the world and danced to every live artist they could catch up with, living a volatile but idyllic life together. One of their best memories was visiting Myanmar, while it was briefly open to the West, and riding a hot air balloon over the ancient temples of Bagan. They welcomed their first daughter, Sylvia Elise, in 2017, and their second daughter, Vivian Petra Jean, in 2018. Ben made an amazing stay at home father for the first years of their lives. However, the call of the ocean, and the freedom it represented, beckoned him despite his beloved children; he returned to fishing in 2017, first out of Ventura and then increasingly out of Alaska as the decade came to a close.

Ben had many happy days upon the Pacific Predator. He caught fish of every species. He lived his best life and his worst life. He was a spirit that was happiest while free from the traditional ties of society, sailing on the open ocean. The family he left behind both in California and Montana, as well as his friends across the world, will mourn his loss for eternity; his spirit will live on in our hearts and on the waves.

Benjamin James Sullivan is survived by his partner, Jennifer Anne Hetzner; his children, Yarak William Sullivan, Sylvia Elise Sullivan and Vivian Petra Jean Sullivan; his parents, Diann Falor Sullivan and step-father Louie Sullivan; his half brothers, Mike Sullivan and Mike Schooley; and countless extended family and friends across the world.

Ben’s Service will be held on 11/11/21 at East Lawn Memorial Park, 4300 Folsom Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95819 Viewing begins at 10:00 am. Service begins at 11:00 am, Pastor John Maroni presiding.